Machine for forming characters.



D. w. Benson. MACHINE FOR FORMING CHARACTERS.

APPLIO AT ION FILED JULY 23, 1896.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

17 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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D. wmonsofi. MAGHINE FOR FORMING GHARAOTERS.

Patented Feb.9, 1909. 17 sHEHTB-BHEET 6.

APPLIOAIIION FILED JULY 22. 1896.

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D. w. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMING CHARACTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22. 1896.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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n. W. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMING CHARACTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22. 1896.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909, 1'1 SHEEN-SHEET a.

Witnesses;

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1). W. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMING OHARAOTERS.

APPLIOA TION FILED JULY 22, 1896.

Patented Feb.9,1909.

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Witnesses:

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. D. W. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMIQIG 0HARAGTER$. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 22, 1896.

91 1,954, Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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1).v w. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMING GHARAGTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1896.

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n. W. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMING UHARAUTERS.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 189B.

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- D. W. DODSON. MACHINE FOR FORMING CHARACTERS.

APPLIOATIOQI FILED JULY 22, 1896.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1896.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909 1'? SHEBTS-rSHEI-ZT 14.

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MACHINE FOR FORMING CHARACTERS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1896.

.91 1,954. Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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1). W. DODSON. MAOHINE' FOR FORMING CHARACTERS.

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APPLICATION FILED J'ULY 22, 1896.

Patented Feb.

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UNITED s'rA.rns

PATENT OFFICE.

DARIEN W. DODSON, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TYPE-BAR MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR FORMING CHARACTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed July 22, 1896. Serial No. 600,151.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DARIEN W. DoDsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forMaking Characters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for making characters, letters, figures, designs, die faces or other marks on a surface, in cameo or in intaglio, raised or indented, and in the particular embodiment thereof herein illustrated and described the same is disclosed in a type-making machine, or. more specifically a machine for making typebars or linotypes having each a series or line of selected or composed types integrally con nected with each other and adapted for making a corresponding series or line of composed and printed characters. Since the art of mechanical type-composition was first in troduced, many methods have been employed for obtaining a series of closely relatedv printing surfaces suitable for the production of printed impressions. All of the principal methods heretofore developed may be divided into three main classes: first, those in which previously-formed, solid types are selectively assembled to form a line comprising a plurality of separate elements, from which, when properly locked up in a form, an impression may be taken; second, those in which punches, or stamps, havingthereon characters in relief, or cameo, are selectively assembled in line and an impression in intaglio subsequently made in a suitable matriX material, such as papier-mach, wood or soft metal, to obtaintherein a matrix, from which a stereotype, electrotype or similar body, having a printing surface in cameo, may be formed; and third, those in which matrices having therein characters in indentation, or intaglio, are selectively assembled in line and a series'oftypes having printing surfaces in relief, (the so-called linotype), is produced by admitting, or forcing, molten metal into a mold-box, surrounding the series of alined characters in the matrices, or else individual types are formed from these selected matrices separately and in a similar manner.

It will be obvious that a machine adapted for carrying out a method included in the j first-mentioned class is simply an automatic type-setting or composing machine, and is not, many sense, a type-making or typeproducing apparatus.

In machines constructed for operation in accordance with a method included under the second of the before-mentioned classes, it is necessary to not only perform the operation of composing the several lines of matter, but also to obtain in the machine a ma trix, or impression, of the composed line, before a printing surface can be formed by the usual methods of stereotyping, electrotyping, etc.

Up to the present time machines adapted for carrying out a method included in the third mentioned class have attained the greatest commercial success, but in this species of apparatus, as in nearly all other typecomposing machines, there is always present the objectionable feature of having to first compose, and subsequently distribute, a vast number of separate and individually-characteristic members or matrices; while the additional operations, incident to the melting and casting of type-metal, decrease the efiiciency, and increase the cost of operation, of the machine. Moreover, the poisonous fumes from the melting pot of such machines, and the excessive heat emitted thereby, are injurious to health and impair the efficiency of the operator.

Many efforts have also been made to obtain a typebar embodying an integral line of types by the direct action of matrices upon type formable material located along the edge of a single piece typebar-blank, or in a blank separate from the typebar body or type-support. These have heretofore been unsuccessful owing to a variety of causes, the principal one of which is that up to the present time there has been no proper recognition of the part played by the stock of the blank lying between, and which is in excess of that necessary to form adjacent raised characters separated by intervening depressions extending below the plane of the impression faces of the types. The presence of this surplus stock obstructs in attempting to produce types located in close succession, the formation of a succession of closely related. integrally connected and satisfactory type-like characters in theface of an elongated, narrow blank, as it is practically impossible, under the conditions inherent in the characteristics of such a blank, especially as regards its dimensions and nature, to compress the blank sufficiently to form clear cut and satisfactory printing characters, without causing the fiowage of the material during the making of a character to interfere with and distort the next adjacent and finished character.

I have found that by adopting means for modifying or controlling in a proper manner the flowage induced by each type-making die during the working thereof, type or other characters may be made in close succession, so that the action of forming a charactor will not interfere with those previously made. As one means for effecting such modification or control, I provide a space or spaces by the removal of material proper points along the edge of the blank towards and into which that particular flowage occurring at each type-forming operation and tending to most detrimentally effect a finished type (that is, the lie-wage lengthwise of the series of types to be formed) may be received without changing the position in any way of a finished type. The location of these spaces, which are preferably made along the blank progressively as regards the series thereof, with the making of the consecutive types, is determined by the positions which the characters are to occupy, the location of such iiowage controlling or flowage receiving spaces coinciding with the location of the characterseparating and word-separating spaces, and each being of such width as to enable it to properly perform its function as an overflow region. In the event that such a space is made forwardly of the particular portion of the blank to be operated upon prior to such operation, a type-blank will be set off from the main body of theblank. Such flowage spaces may be made in any appropriate manner; but they are conveniently produced by transversely slotting the edge of the blank.

In making characters of different widths (a variability which will, in general, be the case) along a typebar or other blank, the length of each typeforming portion of the blank should, of course, be proportionate to the Width of the character to be forn'ied thereon in order that a printed line of composition may be produced having a satisfactory appearance.

Another object of my invention is to furnish, therefore, a variable feed mechanism (herein shown as a blank'feeding mechanism) adapted to feed the Q'PQlJiil'dJlilillI a length appropriate to the width of the selected type or other character, design or stamp to be fori 18d. its a great variety of characters of varying contours, and espe- I, cially characters having faces of varyingl lengths and widths. is employed in the art of printing, I find it advantageous, and heroin there exists a further feature of my in ention, to remove a part or part of the face of the type-forming portions of the blank in order to shape the re pective porlions to a form approximating more or less closely to the type-blocks to be made therefrom. This further removal of unusable material constitutes an additional step ill-- volved in the general preliminary treatment to which the typebar or other bla k is subjected, and is eli'ected Where the conditions are such as to render its employment of advantage. The part or parts removed will i areiore correspond in position and sub 1 v in size with the part or parts unnecessai )1 the buildingup of the type blocks. ans are pro ided for this pur pose comprising appropriate in trumentalities for facing one or more of ihe upper or corners some at least of the sueccs ive portions; of the blank prior to the fornia'tion of characters tl erein or thereon. l prefer to so face these edge: of the blank areas of the upper faces of the reg actively immed portions will closely appioxiniate to or be relatively small as compared with the areas of such respective faee after the corresponding impre sions have been formed in the blank.

t is to be understood.

"ion is not linn' he art of prints it is adapted f ne production of is articles provided \vi l a character, die, design or other distingu er. that my ing a type or series of the same to "in a type-bar, provide means, in a mg my pre ent invention into practice, or shit .g the material of the blank to he rolling treatment of a die r series of 1 e same succe-- ivelf and selectively brought ition to coiperate with the blank. Since it contemplated, that such rolling hall preferably take place c1'(,).-';s\ .'isc of the blank. the movement of the excess or unused. terial is naturally in the same direction. therefore, the. blank is slotted. both the. anode. of operating the die and the blank, the one relatively to the other that is to say, the cross i'se, rolling of the blank and the onformation of the blank employedthat is to say, a blank having a iloivage space adjacent to the type to be formed nre such iltl as are well adapted to preserve the integrity of an adjacent type as a satisfactory printing member for the purposes of the art.

An operative machine for manufacturing a line of type comprising a series of closely contiguous word-related printing members such as the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in, and one form and construction of which is disclosed in the drawings attached to the present specification, is

therefore one capable of applying in suc-' cession the individuals of a series of selective dies to the edge of the blank and rolling the same thereacross. Each individual die as it impinges against the blank at the proper point thus acts to crush down the material thereof and momentarily subject such material to a working. This working necessarily involves the dislodgment and shifting of relatively small quantities of material lying in the edge of the blank until, when the die leaves the blank, the type lines appear thereon. As is well known, the generation of sensible heat accompanies and naturally attends the working of metal and each die during the period it impinges against and rolls over the blank thus becomes an instrumentality for generating heat in the blank. The tendency of this generated heat to facilitate the production of the successive types by reducing the molecular or internal cohesion of the metal, is augmented by the fact that such heat at the instant of generation is localized within comparatively narrow limits-that is to say, within the mass of material in and immediately adjacent to the working diethus raising the temperature of that portion to a higher degree than if the heat were distributed through a larger mass.

In the practical use of a working machine, the successive application of successively selected dies partakes of the nature of oft repeated blows applied to an object with the result of augmenting the temperature thereof. As the present machine is adapted to operate at comparatively high speed, the blank is subjected to a rapid succession of blows, each of which contributes its quota of heating effect confined at the instant of production to the small mass being wrought to shape. The heat thus localized at the instant of generation being confined to the mass under process of working by the heatgenerating die, operates at the instant of working to the best advantage by lessening far as may be, the rigidity of the mass in and immediately adjacent to the die without producing a similar eflect in the mass of the blank lower down, and which should manifestly maintain its maximum rigidity or solidity, to best withstand the formative stresses of the working die. A machine constructed according to the present invention will therefore embody, in combination with means for bringing a selected impression device to the working point of the machine, means for effecting a working movement between the selected impression device and a blank at such working point to progressively vary the angular relation of the impression device and the blank during the progress of the impressing of the blank.

The present machine provides a means for making types and lines of types according to'the method set forth in my companion application, Serial N 0. 600,152, filed on even date with the present one. 7

In the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 is a left-hand elevation, partly in section, of a machine, illustrating one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a right-hand, end elevation of a portion of the same, also partly in section. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the right-hand side of the machine, with parts broken away to show the construction. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the machine, on line a-a., Fig. 3. Fig. 6 1s a detail, sectional view of the adjusting means for the gear segments, (hereinafter referred to) which segments serve to lock the revolving tool-carrying shafts against slipping while the tools are operating upon the blank, the section being taken 011 line 12-12, Fig. 7 Fig. 7 is a detail, sectional, front elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is atransverse section of the movable blanksustaining means herein shown as a blank carrier with certain connected devices, the section being taken on line 0-0, Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the righthand end of the machine, showing the variable-stroke feed-mechanism (hereinafter described) in its inoperative position. Fig. 10 is a similar view, showing said feed-mechanism in its operative position. Fig. 11 is a detail, transverse section, taken on line cZ-d, Fig. 5, and looking from the left-hand end of the machine, showing the driving-gears for actuating the forming tools. Fig, 12 is a detail, transverse section, taken on line (Zd, Fig. 5, and looking from the righthand end of the machine, parts to the right of the plane indicated by that line being also shown and comprising the driving gears for actuating the forming tools, and other parts certain of which are broken away to show the rock-arm and plunger of the vari able-stroke feed-mechanism. Fig. 13 is an enlarged, sectional, end elevation of the turret-mechanism, (hereinafter described) looking from the left-hand end of the machine.

Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section, and illustrates the parts in the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 13. Figs. 15 to 20, inclusive, are lefthand, end elevations of the turret-mechanism and adjacent cooperating devices, and illustrates successive steps in the operation 

